Overview

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery has a lot to see, although much of it was out of reach due to refurbishing and a lift in the second building being out of order. I arrived ten minutes before opening and rang the buzzer to access the lift, failing to notice the time, and received a rather blunt reply stating, "The museum opens at 10. You have ten minutes to wait!" – which could have been a little more polite. The areas I was able to access were certainly interesting, particularly the exhibits celebrating Birmingham's past. The museum had a tribute to the late Benjamin Zephaniah, which was great to see – I love it when a city celebrates its heroes. I'd recommend popping by if you're in the area and I hope that when you attend, more of the museum is accessible.

Transport & Parking

There’s no car park at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery but ccessible parking spaces are available nearby on Margaret Street and Edmund Street, both close to the Edmund Street lift entrance. The nearest public car park is the Town Hall Car Park, about a five-minute walk from the museum. It’s operated by Birmingham City Council and includes accessible bays. Parking is free with no time restrictions for Blue Badge holders. The closest tram stop is Victoria Square/Town Hall – the museum is just uphill from there. The nearest bus stop is on Great Charles Street, a short distance from the museum, where the 9 Platinum, 12, 12A, 13, 13A, 23 Platinum, 24 Platinum, 82 Platinum, 87 Platinum, 126, 822, 829, X8 Platinum and X10 Platinum services operate. Birmingham New Street station is less than half a mile away. If you're arriving by train, you can catch a tram to Victoria Square from just outside the station.

Access

When I arrived, the automatic doors were already open, so I had no hassle getting in. They lead straight to the lift, which is spacious inside. There’s a hearing loop in the lift, but no braille markings on the buttons. If you're using the stairs, there are handrails though the set On entering, I was told only a quarter of the museum was open, which was a bit disappointing. There’s a second building, but I was also told the lift there is broken, so the exhibits in that part aren’t accessible at the moment. The smooth tiled flooring makes it easy to get around, with plenty of clearance space between displays. They have wheelchairs available to borrow, and there are loads of seating options dotted around, plus portable stools if you want to take one with you. The café is spacious, with a good variety of food and seating options, though there are a lot of wingback chairs, which I found interesting. The gift shop has a lowered section at the counter, which is always good to see. I didn’t notice any signage showing that hearing loops are active in the museum. Further research on the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery website doesn’t provide any additional information about services for hearing or visually impaired visitors.

Toilets

There’s an accessible toilet near the café, but it’s a shared baby change and accessible loo in one large cubicle. Someone was already in it when I got there, and once I was in, getting back out again wasn’t exactly easy due to the shape of the room – it’s all just a bit tight. I saw another accessible toilet upstairs, but it was out of order. A staff member kindly took me through the Rembrandt exhibit to one on floor 1, where there’s just enough room for a power chair, but not much space to turn. It has space for a right-side transfer if the space is clear. The sink has a lever-style tap, there’s a grab rail on the left, but the one on the right looked broken. The toilet has a soft backrest and has grabrails on either side. The red cord hangs to the left when seated and wasn't tied up when I visited. The door opens outwards and doesn’t need a RADAR key.

Staff

The staff were great. Upon entry, they let me know right away that only part of the museum was open and that the lift in the second building wasn’t working. Later on, when I was looking for an accessible toilet, a member of staff took me through the paid exhibit to the toilet.

Photos